


Counting on You - A Star Wars Rebels Story

by kalebchaney1



Series: Star Wars Rebels - The New Era [1]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Chiss, Chiss Ascendancy, Chiss Defense Fleet, F/M, Gen, Jedi, M/M, Mandalorian, Togruta - Freeform, Twi’lek, Twi’lek/Human Hybrid, the ghost - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-04-01 03:47:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13989825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalebchaney1/pseuds/kalebchaney1
Summary: In this book...Ahsoka Tano and Sabine Wren unite, and join forces to set out on a rescue and retrieval mission for Ezra Bridger, who went missing in action five years ago today. Along the journey they will reunite with their most beloved allies, and old adversaries will return.





	Counting on You - A Star Wars Rebels Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sabine celebrates the fifth anniversary since the Liberation of Lothal, now known as Liberation Day on Lothal, contemplating the obvious signs of Ezra's sacrifice which she failed to pick up on. Also, Ahsoka visits Lothal and picks the Mandalorian up and they set off to locate the young Jedi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are spoilers from Family Reunion - and Farewell in this chapter. Caution is advised for those who have not seen the epidode.

This is a warning to all incoming readers. Spoilers from the series finale are coming, a lot of them! Also, this prologue will be a long chapter. So I guess I should say sorry in advance. If you will continue to read, thank you so very, very much! I am making a promise that it will be worth it!

 

 

 

 

  
If you have come this far, be aware, this is your second warning. I am serious, spoilers are coming!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have come this far, you must have seen the finale, if you have not, STOP READING PLEASE. I do not want to be blamed for accidental spoilers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINAL WARNING. ARE YOU PREPARED? IF YOUR ARE NOT, IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO TURN BACK!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

———————————————————————  
Five years ago today, a desperate group of ill equipped rebels assembled with the hope of freeing the Outer Rim world of Lothal. Their plan was tremendously reckless, and they stood absolutely no chance against the army of bucketheads. However, they defied all odds which said otherwise, and liberated the planet of the Imperial Occupation.

Unfortunately, no victory can be achieved without sacrifice. Sometimes these losses can be minimal, and beat no significance. It is seldom so, perhaps never. The more likely outcome is one which can lead to abandonment, depression, and feelings of defeat, indifference, or hopelessness. However, not all people react similarly. The Liberation of Lothal was attained with the loss of Gregor, a clone trooper who lost his life at the end of a blaster shot, but with the satisfaction of fighting for something that he chose to believe in.

Along with him, Ezra Bridger, one of my closest friends, went missing in action after he defeated Grand Admiral Thrawn. To this day, I continue to blame myself for it. The subtle hints and gestures were extremely obvious, and I have observed the same traits before in another Jedi, Kanan Jarrus. Much to my dismay, I was too oblivious to acknowledge the signs, but by the time I did it was too little, too late.  
———————————————————————  
Tension could be felt in the air as the passengers maintained a grip on the poles hanging horizontally above them. Across the way, I noticed Rex, dressed in a uniform worn by the Emperor's snowman. He was conversing with Gregor and Ketsu. Although, I could not decipher what they were saying over the constant, eerie whine of the patrol transports in flight.

When I returned my eyes to my immediate surroundings, I noticed Ezra's troubled gaze at the grasslands below. "Hey! You okay?" I asked as I nudged him lightly. His change in posture signaled that he was startled, and therefore, was probably in a trance outside of the physical world.

"I know I can always count on you," he said. His tone was serious and reeked of solemnity. The facial expression he wore screamed out to me that something worried him. "Alright, what are you up to?" Ezra was working out his answer, but he was interrupted by the chime of the comlink. "We're coming up on the capital, better get ready."

"Copy, head for platform Zero Delta," I replied. Before I took the opportunity to continue our conversation, the lovely Governor Arihnda Pryce chimed in. "The command center? You're going to attempt to launch the dome. Your plan is worse than I thought," she said in her Core World accent. Her posture transitioned from a hunched, defeated appearance to a stiff, confident composure. The Governor felt enlightened once she unscrambled the pieces to the puzzle.

"Mmm, bolder. You mean bolder than you thought," Ezra added as he turned to face her, "More creative than you thought." I couldn't resist, after all, since I possessed the artistic talent out of the group.  
———————————————————————  
Ezra did not deliver the answer to my inquiry until later that afternoon, and I hated the disappearance provided alongside it. The final interaction I had with him occurred not long after we landed at the I.P.O.F.  
———————————————————————  
"I await your arrival, and make no mistake come alone. If you attempt any heroics, I will resume the bombardment, and destroy your city, and then your friends," Thrawn claimed in his calm, yet menacing voice. "Ezra!" Hera cried to him softly. His eyebrows arched inwards to the bridge of his nose, signaling anger, and the determination flared in his eyes. After everything he accomplished for the people of Lothal, he would not be the architect of their destruction. Ezra fingered the clasp in his utility belt, and left the unlatched lightsaber in Chopper's possession.

"I understand that you think you need to do this, but," Ezra interrupted Hera, "This is what I was meant to do," he insisted in a relaxed, confident tone. "There's a way, there's always another way," Hera replied with her soothing voice. Her mother-like qualities were at a peak. She spoke in a soothing voice, something we all admire about her, especially Kanan. In itself it said volumes about her character, maintaining stability in the most stressful situations. She reached out to Ezra and laid her hands on his shoulders, as he looked down, "I won't let you go."

The entire ordeal deeply upset me. I was torn between the uncertainty of what would happen as a result of his surrender, but I could not ignore the imminent destruction of the Capital City if he stayed behind. It was selfish of me to have such greedy thoughts, especially when there were much larger issues at stake. "Alright, if this isn't the way, what is?"

"Let's see what we have to work with," Hera replied. She took her hands off of Ezra's shoulders, and began the transition into tactical thinking.

"Charge up the dome's cannon. We'll blow him outta the sky." Zeb said furiously. He meant business, we all did. "Easy, our turbolasers are not match for that Star Destroyer," Rex replied, demonstrating the sense that Zeb lacked when facing intense and dire situations as he did currently. "Even if we do 'blow him out of the sky'," Kallus began, but I started to lose focus on them, and adjusted my eyes onto Ezra. He was staring up at the ventilation shaft, and the he changed his view to Chopper, who in turn opened it for Ezra. "One last time," he whispered silently.

He noticed my gaze. As I stared into his ocean colored iris, a moment of rage came upon me. I would not let him do this. I attempted to vocalize this through my changing facial expressions, since words would reveal the interaction to the others. His eyebrows lifted, as if to say that I lacked the sense to realize that this was the only option, and that he implored me to let him proceed. I finally understood, and began to engage in their conversation.

"Hera!" I yelled as I walked over, her and Kallus turned their heads. "Over here," I had to buy time for Ezra to slip into the shaft unnoticed. "We should use the primary schematic if we're going to find a way to raise the shield. We need to get down here and take control of the power terminals." I glanced over to his last known position. He was gone. Until we meet again, Ezra Bridger. Who knew if he was going to escape custody? I had to let go, and stay strong, for him. "So we got a plan to get the shield up. The trick is to pull it off before Thrawn loses patience. We need to stall him somehow. Ezra?"

Hera turned to find power consoles, thin air, and no Ezra. As if on cue, a patrol transport lifted into the Lothal sky, and departed for the Star Destroyer. "We have to stop him!" Rex exclaimed, as Hera pulled out her comlink and activated it. "Ezra, don't do this," she yelled. "Hera, we have to trust him. The best way we can help is to get that shield up, so when Ezra makes his move, we're ready. We have to assume the generator room will be well guarded. So we'll need two teams to hit it from different sides if we're gonna capture both power terminals. That is, if you agree, Hera." I waited, nervous to hear her reply. "That's a good plan, the best chance we've got."  
———————————————————————  
It broke my heart to let him go, and I was fighting to hold back tears. I could not help but feel like an era was ending, and another, better era was beginning. The final words I ever shared with Ezra would send me on a path I never envisioned myself pursuing.  
———————————————————————  
"Ezra! Ezra, can you hear me? The purrgil! I-is it you?" I asked him through the com link, hoping he was still alright. I was thrilled when there was a familiar voice replying to the question, "Yeah! Pretty good, huh?" he asked. I rolled my eyes at the reply. Well, you could've told the rest of us!"

"I wanted it to be a surprise!" Ezra said, joy evident in his tone and voice. There was no response for awhile. I could only assume he'd encountered trouble once more. I stared at the purrgil completely demolishing the Imperial Fleet. Suddenly, something changed, they rested their tentacles tightly around Thrawn's ISD, and they began to glow, meaning they were about to jump!

"When they glow like that," Hera said with caution in her voice. "They're about to jump into hyper-space!" I yelled, anxiety growing, and my heart rate rapidly sped up. "Ezra, Ezra get out of there, right now! That's an order," Hera practically screamed into her comlink. "Hera, I have to see this through to the end!" Ezra replied to Hera.

"Ezra, please, get out of there!" I screamed into the comlink. "I can't do that. It's up to all of you now. And remember, the Force will be with you, always." Then the Star Destroyer vanished.  
———————————————————————  
However, Ezra left one final farewell surprise.  
———————————————————————  
Chopper rolled into the cockpit of the Ghost, and told us there was an urgent hologram for them. He plugged into a console, and queued it up front. The next thing I could remember, was that Ezra appeared in front of us! I was ecstatic! Then he began to speak, and I realized it was pre-recorded.

"If you're watching this recording, then I owe you an explanation. There were several paths in front of me. While this wasn't the one I wanted to take, it's what I had to do. That's something Kanan taught me, I'm going to miss you all. Zeb, you can have the top bunk back, for now. Hera, I-uh left a meiloorun in your cabin, I hope it's still your favorite."

"Sabine, don't forget."

"Right."

"I'm counting on you."

"You're counting on me."

"But for what?"

"I couldn't have wished for a better family, I can't wait to come home," and then Ezra was gone.  
———————————————————————  
Those words have poked and pried at my heart and soul for an agonizing five years. Every day since I settled on Lothal, guilt corrupted me. Everything I have done since the liberation was for Ezra, because he inspired me with his passion and determination to free his people. In many ways, it reminds me of mom, dad, Tristan, Fenn Rau, and Bo-Katan. I know that if fate ever created such an encounter, they would not hesitate to sacrifice themselves. Now, it was my time.  
~~~~~  
The afternoon of the fifth Liberation Day celebration, I rested my weight upon the slick guardrail of the Capital Communications Tower. Spending the time to visit the tower brought me joy being at a place with a strong connection to Ezra. I stared across the void at the sterling waters of Lothal's oceans. It almost brought a tear to my eye as I laid my eyes upon a strong reminder of his sapphire-colored iris. There was something about the planet which made me feel more comfort, more homely than I ever felt on Krownest of Mandalore. I was never able to figure it out, but the towering, pearly white spires were much more aesthetic than the Clan Wren stronghold, and Capital City could definitely give Sundari a run for its money. The spirit of the Lothalites was truly very astonishing. They'd torn down, reconstructed, and eradicated every single, minuscule fragment of evidence of the Empire's occupation. The skies finally displayed a beautiful, turquoise hue. Pollution was no longer visible from orbit, and even on the surface.

Suddenly, a shadow engulfed the plains, and I gazed up at the purest sky I'd ever seen on the planet. A T-6 Jedi Shuttle accompanied by two T-70 X-Wing starfighters grazed the underbelly of the clouds. In a rush, I ran inside the tower, quickly gathered an necessary gear and supplies, and hopped onto my Undicur-class speeder bike. I jogged my memory, remembering the discussed site, the Old Republic Senate Building, and departed for the long-awaited meeting.

"The attack we all anticipated never came."

The main reason I separated from the Alliance's activities was because Ezra was counting on me. Someone had to sacrifice the bigger cause for the smaller, yet equally important cause. That person was me, and I did not, now would I ever regret it. I could not help but look around at the sparkling rings which surrounded the tower, and eventually, the abundant grasslands. I would miss them dearly, for they were part of my daily life for the past seven years.

"The once invincible Empire had begun to fracture. The small Rebellion had become bold."

The Empire was flawed, even the Emperor could not deny that fact. It was extremely strong, and it's tyranny was overall effective, but the qualities which led to its doom were traits the Rebellion were founded upon. One of those traits, desperation, led to the attack on Scarif, the first Death Star, the Battle of Hoth, and eventually, the climactic Battle of Endor.

"And with the decisive victory at the Battle of Endor, the Emperor's reign of terror came to an end."

With the pollution gone, and no pesky snowmen to shout at them or take them on a test flight, Loth-cats began roaming Capital City once more. They were a beloved species, along with the Loth-wolves, who people no longer feared. Those species were the most common native primitives you could find roaming around. Young children would often spend their summers playing with them, and going for joyrides along the main roads.

"After the war, Zeb took Kallus along the secret hyperspace path to the planet Lira San. It was then that Kallus realized he hadn't destroyed the Lasat people, and that they were thriving on this new world. A world where he was welcome as one of them."

Zeb has told me all about his secret plan to surprise Kallus, and yes, I know, his name is Alexsandr. There's no way I'm calling him that, however.

"Hera fought in the Battle of Endor, as did Commander Rex. By that time, there had been a new member added to the crew of the Ghost. Spectre-7, Jacen Syndulla, born to fly just like his mother, and well, we all know what his father was like."

Jacen Syndulla was a Twi-lek/Human hybrid, which should say enough about his parentage. His eyes were dark blue, which eerily reminded me of Ezra. He had the natural ability and desire to fly, as did his mother, who received a new look courtesy of your very own, Sabine Wren. I touched up her protective headgear, painting it purple on the sides, with a thick yellow stripe down the middle, as well as putting on blue eyeshadow and lipstick the color of her headgear. Back to Jacen though, mind me, he was in no way short of Kanan's bravery and courage, and had razor-sharp reflexes as well. Zeb's brother-like manner had taught Jacen to be tough, but being lighthearted was never a bad thing. Hera always tells me how he wanders into my room to look at my art, and even began to paint his own walls. Finally, he was inspired by Ezra's determination, and would never back down when threatened, always standing up for himself.  He even got along with Chopper, so I mean, obviously he was something special. Just kidding, Chop. In a way, he was all of us in one body.

"As for me, I used to think Ezra was counting on me to protect Lothal. The planet and the people he cared for so much."

I walked down the steps of the building, and laid my eyes upon the mural I painted so long ago. It needed some touch-up work, with Jacen introduces and all, but that was for another day. I reached my hand out and tapped Ezra's cheek twice, as if he would be able to feel the signal from wherever he was in the Galaxy.

"But one day, I realized there was more to it. There was something else I was meant to do."

I turned around, hearing the engine of the shuttle die down, and there she was, Ahsoka Tano herself. She was dressed in white robes, and a cowl covered the top of her lekku down to her montrals. She looked up with purpose, and she set her staff on the ground. I grasped my helmet with both my hands, and put it on.

"Ezra's out there somewhere, and it's time to bring him home."

"I agree, Sabine. Where do you believe we should start?" Ahsoka asked. Her inquiry brought the realization that I had yet to ask myself the most essential question for the beginning of our voyage. Then, in a flash, the answer appeared clear as day, and a voice went off in my head, "Rex! Bring up every star chart along Ezra's last know trajectory."

My reaction must have been more exuberant and expressive than I had intended, because Ahsoka turned her head at me. "What is it, Sabine?" she asked again, with her soothing voice, very similar to Hera's. "After we blew up the Imperial Dome, and after Ezra vanished with the purrgil—"

"The purrgil? Are they not the creatures who inspired interplanetary travel?" Ahsoka questioned. "Yes, they used their tentacles to grip Thrawn's Star Destroyer, and took Ezra to who knows where," I replied. I have to admit, lacking the insight of a Jedi, and not possessing the knowledge of where to go was beginning to frustrate me. "After we escaped to the Ghost, Hera ordered Rex to bring up every star chart along Ezra's trajectory."

"That certainly complicates things. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to contact him recently," Ahsoka claimed. However, I knew exactly why she hasn't been able to reach him. "Rex was promoted to Commander and transferred to Chandrila after the Battle of Jakku, and is preparing for the signing of the Galactic Concordance," I explained. Ahsoka's facial expression changed from a confused from to an excited smile, with calm pride visible in her eyes. Her posture straightened, and was now firm and proper.

"That's great news, Sabine. Thank you for letting me know, I was beginning to worry," she said, a slight chuckle following instantly afterwards. "I can contact him if you'd like me too," I offered, to which she responded with a quick nod. I queued up the holoprojector, and attempted to contact Rex.

"Lady Wren, to what do I owe this surprise? Don't get me wrong, I welcome your gesture, but it's not at the most convenient time," he answered. I readjusted the projector to extend its exposure, and allow Ahsoka to be visible in the transmission. "Ahsoka! I mean, uh, General Tano. It's been so long. Commander Bridger informed me of the revelation after the mission to the Lothal Jedi Temple, but this is even better," Rex said, rushing his words. I understood what he was feeling well, there's nothing like being reunited with a person you previously thought to be dead, and it is amazing.

"I agree, Commander Rex. It has been too long. I am pleased to speak with you once more," she replied, "As to what the purpose of our call is...Sabine and I just left Lothal, we're searching for Ezra."

"And you require my assistance."


End file.
